


May I Have Your Attention?

by Cloud_Lightning



Series: Gossip AU [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Reapers, Established Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni, F/F, Multi, Pre-OT3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 22:37:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16438136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloud_Lightning/pseuds/Cloud_Lightning
Summary: Shepard was laughing while Miranda pinched the bridge of her nose and Liara wasthisclose to grab her omni-tool and unleash hell upon the magazine that wrote the gossip about her bondmate and their best friend.





	May I Have Your Attention?

**Author's Note:**

> i cant believe im actually write for this fandom again. god i miss mass effect so much

“Can you please stop laughing, Shepard?” Miranda asked after she sighed for the hundredth times.

“I’m sorry, it’s funny,” Shepard cleared her throat. “Honestly, I still can’t believe they thought we were having an affair and that you seduced me with your, what was the word?” the Admiral of the Alliance Force grabbed the magazine her bondmate threw across the room. She cleared her throat and raised her voice just a little bit. “’It seems not even the great Commander, now Admiral, Shepard can resist the alluring smile that always decorates Miss Lawson’s lips and her dark and captive eyes. As the picture shown below, the two of them were currently enjoying their vacation…’”

“I don’t have an alluring smile!” Miranda scoffed as Shepard put the magazine to the table.

“By the Goddess, I can’t believe they are still people out there using real paper,” Liara shook her head.

“If they mean vacation was helping my Asari girlfriend with her archeology excavation and practically have to dig the soil ourselves, then yes, me and Miranda are having such a blast vacation,” Shepard put her hand on her chest and looked at the two women across her solemnly. “But seriously, Liara, my love, why don’t you use Miranda’s technology?”

“For someone that just scoffed at this magazine for using a real paper, you’re actually doing the same thing,” Miranda crossed her legs. “Well, in a sense. Thing of the past and all that.”

“The soils are delicate and fragile,” Liara said. “Using the machine could tamper it.”

Miranda blinked. “Sometimes I couldn’t believe myself that you are THE Shadow Broker because you are such a bad liar.”

“She just wanted to see me sweating under the sun,” Shepard wiggled her eyebrows.

Miranda groaned while Liara blushed.

“Then please, don’t drag me into your weird roleplay,” Miranda mumbled as she took the magazine.

“I’m so sorry, both of you,” Liara sighed as she touched Miranda’s thigh. “After my last research two years ago, no one wants to become my donor. I can’t use the money I got as the Shadow Broker because it would attract attention to me, and clearly, I can’t ask for money from the Lazarus Institute because your focuses are more about technology and healthcare, and not history.”

“Well, I mean you don’t use any technology for this digging, so I guess Miranda can use that loophole,” Shepard laughed but then Miranda threw the magazine at her. “Hey, that hurt!”

“Baby,” Miranda mumbled.

 

 

Liara’s last research was a mess, well; a mess would be an understatement. One of the crews she hired was actually working for the previous Shadow Broker. The Shadow Broker was wary of her because he thought Liara was trying to find his hiding place and using her research as a disguise. That crew, the one that has been using a fake name this whole time took all of her research money and then just disappeared into a thin air. Not even a single record about him ever existed outside of the data Liara had of her crew, and then there were some rumors about her, and suddenly no one believes Dr. Liara T’Soni anymore. If it wasn’t for her Mother’s influence, they would strip her from her academic titles.

So Liara asked for Shepard’s help to find this Kai Leng.

She met with Shepard five years ago, when the Alliance Force found some relics at the site where they wanted to build their new base. So they brought someone that can read the relics, entered Dr. Liara T’Soni. She was the best in her field of expertise that is Prothean, and she was happened to be at the same town where the relics were found. After that, the Alliance Force was still asking for her help because they still need to build a new base on this planet, and they can’t risk ruining really important relics, so Liara joined the survey team, and that’s how she met Shepard. The war hero personally asked to join this mission to get away from everything for a while, and besides building a base was the first step of securing a good defense.

At first, Liara was afraid, but she needed to clear her name. She needed, no, she must find this person. So Liara asked for Shepard’s help, after her bondmate return home. The moment Shepard saw one of Liara’s recording when she interviewed him for this job, she was pale and her whole body went rigid. Because Kai Leng was supposed to be dead along with the Illusive Man, the real reason behind the bombing of the Citadel three years ago.

Knowing fully well she couldn’t capture Kai Leng on her own, Shepard asked for help from an old friend, the one that knew a lot about this Kai Leng and maybe a thing or two about the Shadow Broker.

Miranda Lawson.

Shepard met with Miranda while investigating the bombing. At first, Shepard and her crew were wary at her, because why would someone that used to work for the Illusive Man want him dead? But then Miranda told Shepard that he was threatened her sister and not to mention he actually doesn’t care whether she survived the bombing or not when he sent her to Citadel for a mission. It was a mission, alright, a suicide one.

So the three of them, with the help with the Normandy’s crew, discreetly, of course, tracked down the Shadow Broker, and finally killed the son of a bitch Kai Leng while they were at it.

“I know I’m not really the person to say something about relationship,” Miranda grimaced when she use the medical kit. The fight with Kai Leng was hell, but it was a fitting death for him, being held above the ground by Miranda’s biotic and Shepard shot his head. Liara turned her face away, and doesn’t really move or talked for almost two hours. “But next time, maybe your bondmate need to know more about your works? At least check the background thoroughly so this kind of thing will not happen again.”

Shepard laughed and then coughed because her ribs were hurt, fucking Kai Leng, but then Liara chuckled and shook her head and she looked over at Shepard lovingly even though she had blood all over her face.

Liara sat near the terminal when suddenly someone contacted the Shadow Broker.

“Liara, no,” Shepard said when she saw her bondmate stood up.

“But Shepard…” Liara was looking at Shepard with a pained look.

“Actually, it was a good idea for her to take over,” Miranda nodded to herself.

“Seriously? You’re asking her to become THE Shadow Broker?” Shepard guffawed.

“Think about it, no one knew the real Shadow Broker. Dr. T’Soni can use the connection and everything for the greater good. She can help us preventing someone like the Illusive Man to rise into power,” Miranda growled bitterly.

Imagine, having the power of the Shadow Broker and the funds of the Illusive Man, both of them would be unstoppable. Miranda didn’t dirty her hands with the Illusive Man’s blood and pried Cerberus from his cold and dead hands and turned it into something good only to lose a chance where she could build it further.

 

 

So it has been two years since Liara took the mantle of Shadow Broker, two years of Dr. Liara T’Soni struggling to find any donors for her research. A real and legit donor, not a fake one she could easily create, and surely she can’t ask for her Shadow Broker’s connections because it would endanger her personally.

That was the reason why she asked for Shepard and Miranda, personally, to help her with her excavation. Or to be more precise, Shepard does all the digging while Miranda and Liara talked about the ancient Prothean and theories surrounding them. It was actually nice, just the three of them away from civilization. Although Miranda huffed in annoyance for a few days because she missed her soft and fluffy bed and sleeping alone because Shepard and Liara couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“So, what should we do about the picture?” Liara asked calmly.

The picture was taken right after Shepard and Miranda landed on Shanghai, where the excavation was. That was why Liara was not in the picture. The three of them barely left the site, let alone they had any spare time to actually enjoy the city as tourists on their vacation.

“Just let it die on its own?” Shepard shrugged.

“Liara, you are the Shadow Broker,” Miranda reminded her friend.

“You do realize I can’t use my power as the Shadow Broker to help my personal problems. It’s too risky,” Liara bit her lips. “Maybe I can, but I need more time.”

“Well, its settle, just let it die on its own,” Shepard grinned as she squeezed herself between Liara and Miranda. “Now, let’s watch. I wanna catch up with this series so I can spoiler Garrus.”

Miranda grumbled, and Liara only said. “Shepard, that is cruel.”

“Glyph, you know what to do,” Shepard said, calling Liara’s or rather the Shadow Broker’s info drone.

The three of them settled nicely. Liara laid her head on Shepard's chest, reading something from the data pad while occasionally took a peak to watch the show, Miranda was having none of that and seriously reading her own datapad with her legs draped on Shepard’s thigh. Sometimes Miranda kicked Shepard’s hands and reminded her to write her report, but Shepard retaliated by pinching Miranda’s calf. Liara just rolled her eyes at their antics.

 

* * *

 

“Shepard, have you seen…”

“Yes, Garrus, I’ve seen it,” Shepard laughed when Garrus poked his head inside her office. Garrus was one of the Normandy Crew.

Normandy itself was a special task force, or to put it blindly the team that usually dealing with shit the Alliance and the Citadel Council can’t handle properly. It was founded seven years ago in order to stop a rogue Specter, Saren. Due to the effectiveness and discreetness of the crew, the Council and the Alliance agreed to keep Normandy.

“What have you done to this gossip magazine, Shepard?” Garrus shook his head.

“I have no idea,” Shepard put her feet at the table. “Care to enlighten me?”

Shepard’s office was big but empty expect few chairs, sofa, and table. She doesn’t really want an office, but it was a protocol. So now Shepard has been installing some weapons inside her office, just in case something like the Citadel bombing happened again.

Garrus walked inside the office and dropped the magazine before sat on one of the chair opposites of Shepard. “I bet you a hundred credits the one wrote this gossip was Khalisah al-Jilani.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Shepard groaned.

Shepard wanted to say that she was young and foolish when she met with the reporter, but she was such an ass and deserve all those punches and the headbutt.

“But really, tell me,” Garrus shifted in his seat. “Last month it was a gossip about you and Miranda.”

“Which all of you know it was just a gossip because me and Miranda didn’t go on vacation,” Shepard sighed. The Normandy crew knew the truth, and that was why Joker was laughing so hard when he read that trash.

“And now it was gossip about Liara and Miranda.”

Shepard laughed at the absurdness of this gossip. Like really? Was the writer thought because there was no reaction from the three of them, so they should write another gossip?

The front page of the magazine was featuring Miranda and Liara, laughing together while attending a lecture about Prothean civilization. Both of them were wearing their best dress, picked by Shepard of course. Miranda’s hand was on Liara’s shoulder, almost hugging the asari, while Liara wrapped her hand around the biotic’s waist. It was a good thing now that everyone started to believe Liara again. Shepard knew Liara and with help from Miranda was slowly but surely trying to clean the asari’s name as an archeologist.

Shepard had to give it to the photographer though, they managed to capture such a beautiful moment between Liara and Miranda. It was rare for Miranda to actually out in the public, granted in the past she was working for the Illusive Man, can’t really showed her beautiful face everywhere she wanted. And she doesn’t really all that “buddy-buddy” with all of her contacts throughout the entire galaxy. They were just contacts, not _friend_ s. Miranda never asked anything trivial about her contacts, and they did the same to her, unless that trivial thing matters, like their loyalties and such.

Even after she took over Cerberus and build the Lazarus Institute from Cerberus’ ashes, Samantha Traynor was the face of the company and doing all the press conferences, expect when Miranda was really, really needed. But mostly it was still Samantha do all the talking.

“I’m just waiting for them or at least one of them to call me,” Shepard chuckled.

“Oh? They haven’t contacted you yet?”

“Nope, why? You want to make a bet about it with Joker?”

Garrus laughed. “You know me too well, Shepard.”

Before Shepard says anything, her Omni-tool beep loudly, making Garrus mumbled “Ah, what was the word? Speak of the devil?”

Shepard shook her head. “Just go, and if you win you better buy me a drink.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Garrus gave a mock-salute.

Right after Garrus stepped out of her office, Shepard answered her Omni-tool.

“ _Can I have your permission to destroy this heathen magazine?_ ”

“And hello to you too, Miranda,” Shepard laughed. “How is the lecture?”

“ _It was great, really. I’ve met with few of Liara’s old collogues, and thanks to that gossip, they thought I steal her away from you_ ,” Miranda hissed. “ _Or that I’m a bitch that doesn’t satisfy with just one lover, and I have to ruin your relationship in order to quench my thirst.”_

“Ouch,” Shepard flinched. “I’m so sorry, Miranda. We should have done something sooner.”

Miranda took a deep breath and spoke. “ _Its fine, I know it was just trashy gossip, but I don’t really like being the center of the attention._ ”

“I know, Miranda,” Shepard said softly. “I know.”

Miranda once told Shepard that she was created by her father to achieve perfection. To be the best humanity could offer. Her father was right, with her superior genetic and looks, she was perfect. And she was raised and trained to fulfill such role. Everything was perfect, except for her lack of social skills. Her father and Cerberus didn’t see the benefit they could achieve by teaching Miranda about social skills, or God forbid, how to have a _friend_. “Might as well just make an AI with a beautiful body,” Miranda said that bitterly after she poured her heart out to Shepard.

“Alright, when the two of you get home, we will plan something to fight back these gossips.”

“ _Thank you, Shepard_ ,” Miranda whispered.

“Be careful on the way home, alright? And tell Liara I love her.”

Miranda scoffed. “ _I can tell her that, or you can call her later after she finishes showering_.”

“Alright, I’ll call later.”

Sometimes Shepard couldn’t understand why people keep portraying Miranda as some sort of smooth seductress and always thinking that she was better than anyone else. Wait, that part was true, genetically speaking. But other than that, Miranda was nothing of the sort. She hates small talks because she doesn’t see anything could be gain from it. If she wanted to know about someone, she could just ask one of her spies to dig some information about them. She doesn’t understand why she must polite to everyone because her father and Cerberus taught her that not everyone deserves the same treatment.

Shepard saw how Miranda flirt, and it was psychically hurt to watch. That was not even flirting; Shepard doesn’t know what to call that.

So really, if someone was the smooth seductress in this story, it was Shepard.

 

* * *

 

“No, that’s not the theory, Miranda,” Liara’s voice was the first thing Shepard heard when she entered their place.

“You need to think outside the box, Liara,” Miranda said back.

“There is a fine line between thinking outside the box and asking for a suicide career,” Liara said sternly. “I already lost my career as an archeologist once, and I’m not in the hurry to do it again.”

Shepard finally found them in the kitchen, Liara was cooking their dinner while Miranda was sitting on the barstool and drinking her favorite green tea. The admiral leaned on the door, smiling softly as she watched the scene unfold before her.

“Look, you already found the old river; it was established that organic being can’t live without water, right?” Miranda raised her hand when she saw Liara wanted to say something. “Wait, follow my logic first. So if by that logic, it means there is a possibility that it could be a village or some sort near that river.”

“Yes, everyone knows that, Miranda.”

“So just dig near the old river.”

“I don’t have that kind of money to cover all of the grounds.”

Miranda looked at Liara with her eyebrow raised.

“Liara T’Soni, not the Shadow Broker.”

At first, the two of them doesn’t have anything in common outside of Shepard, and by the time they run out of topic about the Admiral (Shepard learned that Liara never talk about their sex life because that was weird, and she was glad because Miranda didn’t push her to talk about it like some of their friends), Liara tried to ask about Miranda’s field of expertise. Just to be polite, Liara said because she knew how much Miranda meant to Shepard and she was actually curious about the Lazarus name Miranda chose.

Shepard didn’t tell Liara, but Miranda also said the same thing to her. That she was trying to have a conversation with Liara because she knew the Asari was meant something for Shepard, even if the Asari wasn’t her bondmate, Miranda knew Shepard care for Liara. Plus she was curious whether or not Liara knew some sort of ancient technology that maybe she could use or at least recreate.

“And you need me to wear a casual outfit and dig some soil,” Shepard said in lieu of greeting as she walked to her bondmate. She kissed Liara softly, while Miranda rolled her eyes.

“Make your own,” Miranda slapped Shepard’s hand when she tried to take her tea.

“Alright, so can we talk about the gossips now?” Shepard sat next to Miranda.

Miranda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, she would rather face three thresher maw on her own rather than talk about that gossips. But then again, they need to do something about it before it getting worse. “Just make the reporter who wrote that apologize in public.”

“I don’t think we can do that,” Shepard said. “It’s just _gossip_ , not something important. And besides, even if we did make them apologize, that will come out as we force them to.”

“Too bad when we human try to verbally say our emotion like elcor, people think we’re just being sarcastic,” Miranda mumbled.

“Especially if you’re the one that’s doing it,” Shepard nudged Miranda’s arm.

“Sincere apologize, I did not steal away Dr. T’Soni from Commander Shepard,” Miranda said with flat intonation and expressionless face.

Shepard chuckled while Liara just shook her head and said. “Let’s not do that.”

“Yes, they will think something is really happening and I’m mocking the elcor. We can’t have that now, can we?” Miranda growled as Shepard snatched her tea away. “But we still need to do something…”

Liara looked over Shepard with raised eyebrow.

Oh. _Oh._

They’ve talked about this before and looks like Liara wanted Shepard to ask. By the Goddess, let just hope Miranda will not slap her in the face and cut off their friendship.

Shepard cleared her throat. “Actually… Me and Liara, we, we have an idea on how to deal with this.”

“Do tell,” Miranda turned around so that now she was facing Shepard.

“Tell them that the three of us are in a relationship,” Shepard said in one breath.

“A polymary relationship?” Miranda tilted her head to the side. “Romantically?”

“Whatever you want,” Shepard said.

A beat, then.

“I mean for the story,” Shepard coughed.

Miranda raised her eyebrow. “Shepard…?”

“What Shepard and I want to say,” Liara took Shepard’s hand and rubbed the back of her hand slowly. “We’ve been meaning to ask you about this.”

“About wanting to have a polymary relationship with me?” Miranda asked in disbelieve.

“Yes,” the two of them said at the same time.

“Why me?”

“Because we both like you more than just a friend,” Liara smiled softly.

“I know this looks like a dick move,” Shepard began. “I mean with this gossip and all that, it made us doesn’t really serious about asking you. But trust us, we really are serious to have you as part of our relationship,” the redhead looked over at Miranda. “If you want to have us as more than just a friend.”

“I,” Miranda gulped. “You’re not,” she stood up. “You didn’t just say that to mess with me, aren’t you?”

“No, of course not. We are serious, Miranda,” Liara said. “We’ve been trying to ask you this, but there was never the perfect moment.”

“We like you more than just as a friend, and we thought you also like us more than just friend,” Shepard said. “Whatever is your answer, we still a friend. That is if you want us to.”

It was the first time Shepard saw Miranda loss for words. She usually so cunning and full of wit, that what made Shepard interested at her the first time. Shepard didn’t really ask Miranda about her feeling, because sometimes Miranda did something a little bit too much for just friend. But then maybe Miranda didn’t understand the line between friend and lover, it usually blurry and muddled.

This also happened to Liara. At first, they dismissed it as Miranda didn’t really realize that she was flirting with the two of them. But as the three of them spent more times together, Shepard and Liara agreed they need to talk about this with Miranda.

“I…” Miranda took a step back. “I need to think about it…”

“It’s alright, take your time, Miranda,” Shepard said.

 

* * *

 

Miranda returned about two weeks later, and between those two antagonizing weeks there wasn’t any news from Miranda. According to Samantha, Miranda was locking herself away with her newest project and doesn’t want to be disturbed.

Imagine their shock when Miranda showed up on their home unannounced, yet it felt like she belonged here.

“I, I apologize for missing for two weeks,” Miranda said softly, standing in front of the door towards the kitchen.

Shepard sighed deeply. “Honestly we were worried that you would cut ties with us.”

“Do you really think of that?” Miranda said as she walked towards the kitchen island.

“We had our doubts, yes,” Liara said. “This is a delicate matter, and we don’t want to hurt you in any way because you’re our friend.”

“Honestly, I had my doubts as well,” Miranda sighed. “I, I need more time, to adjust to our new relationship…”

Shepard and Liara looked at each other and then Miranda.

“Are you saying…”

“If you still want to have me more than just your friend,” Miranda said shyly, uncertainty, not really looking at Shepard or Liara, “then yes, I want to have a relationship with the two of you.”

Liara sighed in relief and Shepard jumped from the barstool and ran towards Miranda, the admiral lifted her from the ground, making Miranda squealed in shock and she gripped Shepard’s board shoulders to balance herself. Shepard’s strong and firm hands on her waist.

“But let’s keep the PDA to ourselves, okay?” Miranda said.

“Speaking of PDA,” Liara sighed, she doesn’t really want to bring this up, but she had to.

“I know, I read more gossip about us,” Miranda said as Shepard put her down. “And I also want to acknowledge that you asking me this question while there are gossips about us were not a dick move. Well, just a little bit. But I can understand.”

“So, what should we do?” Shepard asked.

 

* * *

 

As they were predicted, people were looking at the three of them when they entered the ballroom together at the same time. Miranda and Liara wore a dress, while Shepard preferred her tux, but the color of their outfit matched bright red.

Honestly, Miranda was shocked when she saw that Shepard can rock tux with red color.

Miranda chuckled when she heard the paparazzi gasped as Liara kissed her cheek while Shepard’s hand on Liara’s waist.

They spent the night closely. Sometimes Shepard’s hand was on Miranda’s waist; sometimes Liara touched her shoulder gently to get her attention. Sometimes Miranda laughed at Shepard’s silly joke, sometimes Miranda helped Liara in a debate where clearly the other party was wrong but Liara was too polite to say so.

It was a good start.

 

_It was a wonderful night._

**Author's Note:**

> i kinda see miranda as some sort of computer geek that would rather fistfight the thresher maw rather than having a small talk with someone. also i really dont think miranda would just "oh cool, we're in poly relationship now" kind of thing, she needs to adjust herself to it, and it was such a big change for her
> 
> anyway im @nightwhite13 if you wanna say hello


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